Size comparison between asteroids Ryugu and 1998 KY26 (artist’s impression) (IMAGE)
Caption
Here is an artist’s impression of the size difference between the previous target asteroid for Japan’s Hayabusa2 space mission, 162173 Ryugu, and 1998 KY26. Hayabusa2 collected samples from Ryugu in 2018, returning them to Earth in 2020. After this successful mission, 1998 KY26 was chosen as Hayabusa2’s next target. Now, a new study using the Gemini South telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab, and ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has shown that this asteroid is only 11 m wide, making it a much more difficult asteroid to touch down on than previously thought.
Credit
ESO/M. Kornmesser. Asteroid models: T. Santana-Ros, JAXA/University of Aizu/Kobe University
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Credit must be given to the creator. Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.
License
CC BY-SA